BENGALURU: With water crisis still gripping the city due to prolonged water shortage, housekeeping staff in several malls revealed that they were instructed to clean washrooms less often and use tissues to wipe instead.
When questioned about the cleaning routine, one of the housekeeping staff said, although they have been using air fresheners and disinfectants, the amount of water being flushed has been reduced. The diluted disinfectants often result in a stench if adequate water is not used. She added that the mall has been practising this for over a month now, with more number of people using the washrooms.
When TNIE reached out to the visitors, a majority of them reported that the washrooms, which were usually maintained well, remained in poor condition.
Prerna, a sales executive, said, “Lately, I have noticed the deteriorating conditions of the washroom, which resemble those of public washrooms, with a temporary stench.” When I inquired, a housekeeping staff, she said that they were instructed to clean less often to conserve water, she added.
Another housekeeping staff member at a mall in Malleswaram mentioned that they have been instructed to add cleaning soaps directly into the flush tank to avoid thorough cleaning. “We have been directed to clean the washrooms once a day,” the staff member said.